Rome Senate Committee Votes to Decriminalize Cannabis Cultivation

The Senate Judiciary Committee in Rome has approved an amendment to a larger bill which would decriminalize the cultivation of cannabis, making it no longer a criminal offense, but instead a civil fine, reports the Italian news source Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata.

Under current Rome law, the cultivation of any amount of cannabis, for any reason (even for approved industrial or medical purposes), carries with it a potential 1 year jail sentence. This new amendment, which was approved with far less opposition than expected, would remove the potential of jail for these offenses.

The proposal was approved as an amendment to a measure on non-custodial sentences, and will now move towards a full Senate vote before becoming law.

– TheJointBlog

Anthony Martinelli

Anthony is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheJointBlog. He has worked closely with numerous elected officials who support cannabis law reform, including as the former Campaign Manager for King County (WA) Councilmember Dave Upthegrove. He has been published by multiple media outlets, and is a former contributor for Village Voice Media.